1981 Montauk 17 Restoration

[Boatshop6581]

I am currently restoring a 1981 Montauk 17 and in order to determine if the boat is totally original or has been modified, I would appreciate information on the following items/

Q1: what was the capacity of the factory-installed rectangular under-seat fuel tank?

I have looked at aftermarket 12-gallon rectangular tanks. The one in the boat looks much bigger.

Q2: would a 20-gallon have been an OEM fuel tank?

Q3: if I need to replace the fuel tank on my 1981 MONTAUK 17 boat, where can I get an exact replacement which has the fuel filler, the gauge opening, and the fuel fitting on the same (aft facing) side of the tank top?

Q4: where would the factory have mounted the battery box?

On my 1981 MONtAUK 17 the battery box is l ocated on the port aft corner of the deck.

My 1981 MONTAUK 17 My boat has a swim ladder mounted on the port side of the transom, which means that one has to climb around or over the battery box to get into the boat. I am not sure if the swim ladder was origina.

Q5: how can I tell if the swim ladder was an original factory-installed accessory?

The swim ladder on my 1981 MONTAUK 1y has a small teak step which matches the rest of the woodwork in the boat.

To move the battery box to the starboard aft corner of the deck will be easier than to move the swim ladder.

I cannot see any obvious reason why [changing the location of the battery] would [create a debate of nation importance].

I want to keep the boat as original as possible.

Any information that could be provided would be greatly appreciated.

[Phil T]

[The 1981 MONTAUK 17 boat] most likely has a aftermarket Tempo fuel tank. Those tanks were a big improvement over the factory twin 6-gallon tanks.

Moeller bought out Tempo. Moeller now makes fuel tanks with a capacity of 20-gallons, 22-gallons, or 24 -gallons. Those thanks have a tank level sight-gauge and a fuel filler. The Moeller fuel tanks are NOT hard to find but they are expensive, around $300 to $400.tank

[jimh]

In 1981 when Boston Whaler sold a boat there was no engine rigged on the boat. So on a MONTAUK 17 boat there were no fuel tanks, unless the customer ordered fuel tanks from the factory as an option.

A swim ladder was probably offered as an accessory in c.1981. If you look at the WOOD LOCATING DIAGRAM you can see that both sides of the transom have symmetrical embedded wood reinforcement.

[jimh]

To move the battery box to the starboard aft corner of the deck will be easier than to move the swim ladder.

Yes, I agree. If the location of the battery as now installed encumbers access to the boat from the swim ladder, then move the battery to the other side at the stern. But read why the battery was usually on the starboard side, as I explain below.

Q4: where would the factory have mounted the battery box?

My recollection is that the battery would typically be installed on the STARBOARD side of the boat, and the swim ladder would be installed on the PORT side of the boat at the transom.

The reason the battery was usually installed on the STARBOARD side of the transom was to create a slight list to starboard when the boat was unoccupied and left on a mooring. Because of the slight list to starboard, any water coming off the cockpit (from rain) would tend to flow toward the cockpit sump on starboard. The cockpit sump was always positioned on the starboard side of the cockpit on every classic Boston Whaler boat. Water in the aft cockpit sump on starboard would then drain overboard through the aft cockpit starboard sump drain to the sea if it were open, or if the drain were closed, water would be lifted and pumped overboard to the sea by an electrically operated sump pump with a float switch or other sensor that detected the accumulation of water in the aft cockpit starboard sump.

This layout is seen repeated on almost all Boston Whaler boats of the classic era. For this reason, that is why the boat battery is usually on the starboard side of the aft cockpit.

Also, the engine rigging on open boats without a central rigging tunnel would be run along the starboard side of the open cockpit, so having the battery on starboard consolidated the battery to engine primary power cables with the rest of the engine rigging harness cables.

Correspondingly, the reason the swim ladder was installed on the PORT side of the transom was because the battery was already installed on the starboard side. Swimmers re-boarding the boat via the swim ladder would not want to be encumbered by the battery being on the port side.

On my 1981 MONtAUK 17 the battery box is located on the port aft corner of the deck

That is the wrong side.